Gopal Baglay new External Affairs Ministry spokesperson

An Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1992 batch, Baglay has earlier dealt with media as press counsellor at the embassy in Kathmandu. He has also served as director in the external publicity division of the MEA.

He served as Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad from 2011 to 2014. He was heading the ministry’s Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran (PAI) division in the ministry. He has also served as Joint Secretary (States) from October 2014 to December 2015, and was tasked with creation of a separate Department in the ministry to facilitate international outreach of the Indian states.

Outgoing spokesperson Vikas Swarup, who has been appointed envoy to Canada, tweeted his farewell.

“Today I bid farewell as the Official Spokesperson, an extraordinary privilege and honour!” Swarup posted.

“I wish my successor Gopal Baglay all the best for the new assignment. He will take MEA communications to the next level, online &amp; offline,” Swarup added.